Artosis: 'I don’t want to join a Korean team'

Hey Dan, thank you for taking the time to do this interview, let’s just jump in shall we? I guess the first thing that I’d like to ask is, how much time have you spent on the SC2 Beta so far? How many hours a day do you put in (not just playing, but watching replays, talking strategy with other pro-gamers, etc.)?

I’m not sure exactly how much time I’ve put in now. I put in an absolute ton in the first week, but recently I’ve been really busy with work, moving, gf, and a bad cold. I guess I try to put in ~8 hours a day between replays/playing/talking about the game, but sometimes its less or more than that.

From all of this time spent on the beta so far, what, if any conclusions can you draw about it as a competitive title? Will it surpass SC:BW if given enough time? Should it replace SC:BW?

It definitely should replace SC:BW. The game is absolutely great. Anyone who says otherwise simply knows nothing about eSports or RTS games and their opinion should not be trusted. The game is already so close to balanced that its staggering. The remaining imbalances keep shifting around, new strategies are coming up constantly, and every single player has so many flaws in their game, that its almost disgusting. The game will grow and grow and grow, in skill needed, speed needed, etc. Will it surpass SC:BW? Uhhh, well, they are different games. The competition will perhaps, as it won’t be completely segregated like SC1.

You are living in Korea, and have been for quite some time, what is your take on the Korean E-Sports system compared to that of the rest of the world?

The Korean eSports system is based on completely different things than the rest of the world. In Korea, every eSports team is simply a marketing cost which doesn’t generate actual money. Outside of Korea, all the professional teams have a bottom line and have to make money. This makes Korean teams able to give out really large salaries to multiple people, which is a nice change. Another thing the Korean scene has going for it is that its all connected to each other, and on TV. The non-Korean scene has fragmented tournaments with fragmented coverage, which makes the growth a lot slower. There are lots of other differences too, but I’ll leave those for another time.

Other professional American players such as IdrA and Nony have played, or are playing on professional Korean teams. Why haven’t you tried to do the same?

I really don’t want to join a Korean team to be honest. There are a LOT of problems with being on a team like that, and I want no part of it. These players are not allowed many freedoms. Being forced to practice when I’m burnt out, being forced to stay in the house when I want to leave, and having my fate basically controlled completely, by people often times younger than me, and almost always by people who know less about the games and about eSports than me, wouldn’t sit well in my mind.

Are you going to try and play SC2 professionally?

Yep.

Now let’s discuss SC2, what is going to be your main race? I know Tasteless is playing Random as he wants to figure everything out, but what about you?

Right now I’m using Zerg a lot, they really suit my style of play. I like Terran too, but I hate TvP. You have to be really aggressive with bionic units, and to me that is completely not fun vs Protoss. I will probably just practice Terran some on the side while main-racing Zerg, so I can switch somewhere down the line if I want.

How closely have you been following the various tournaments and cups that are hosting SC2 around the world?

I’ve been watching enthusiastically all the tournaments which have been happening. Sadly, they are almost all European based, but still are fun to watch!

Are there any players specifically that you think will become professional?

Yeah, the usual suspects will be pros. Very easy to tell which I’m talking about. Some old WC3 pros, and old foreigner SC1 pros. People like DIMAGA, White-Ra, Demuslim, IdrA, etc.

What do you think it will take for someone to be professional at SC2? (skill set, mind set, etc.)

Lots of hard work, and a fast + open mind are the most important things. SC2 is going to get a LOT harder, very very soon. Its already started on the Asian server, as the game becomes more balanced and more figured out. Those who work the hardest, and can think fast as well as keep their mind open to the new innovations as they are discovered, should do the best.

Do you think that Wc3, SC:BW or maybe another RTS’ players will have it easier with SC2?

SC1 players of course have it the best. Even if the game wasn’t very much like SC1, there is completely no doubt that high level SC1 players have the skills to succeed at any game, with their insane multi-tasking, macro, micro, etc.

You obviously have contact to almost every professional Korean Gamer, and you have been getting their opinions on the game as we have seen in your wonderful videos. Have you played against any of them yourself? Do you think they will be able to transition straight to the positions they hold currently in SC:BW?

I’ve played lots of the older, retired pros already. The current pros don’t play SC2. People are already transitioning over in almost the same exact ranks they hold from their previous games. The top WC3 players like Lucifron and Demuslim are doing very well, DIMAGA and White-Ra are dominating pretty hard, IdrA and Smuft, etc...

What is your opinion on the current balance of the game?

Its impossible to say exactly. The balance is changing constantly as new playing styles are created. But that’s really really really really good for the balance of the game. SC1 is NOT completely balanced, but the better player normally wins, and if you work hard enough you can overcome any imbalance in the game. SC2 almost feels like that at the moment.

What is your opinion on the current map selection?

The current maps are pretty good overall. I do see balance problems arising on some of them though. The ridiculously short distance on Steppes will favor someone in the end, probably terran. Also, Desert Oasis, the horrible map that it is, is ridiculously zerg favored. Kulas might be a bad map as well, not sure on that yet. Overall though, a pretty good pool of maps to start out with.

Do you think the game is being ‘played properly’ yet? I know we have discussed a few things, and it seems a lot of people are doing things incorrectly in your opinion. What do you think people are currently ‘over looking’ or maybe just disregarding at this point in time?

I think almost everyone on the US server is playing pretty much wrong, and from the replays I’ve seen on the EU server, most of those players are clueless as well. Lots of build orders simply don’t make sense economically, no one is transitioning well, etc. On top of that, it seems like so many people who are highly ranked have ridiculously stupid strategies that will win you a lot of random BO1 ladder games, but in the long run will completely suck. This is the wrong way to play if you want to be good for any length of time, yet that’s what I’m seeing all over the place.

There is some debate about speedlings Vs. Roaches in ZvZ, some players stick to roaches, while others do an FE or maybe even a 6pool speedling build. What is your take on this?

6 pool speedling is a stupid cheese so I won’t bother going into that. Right now it seems both Roaches and Lings are valid openings in ZvZ. There are lots of small side strategies inside both, and tech switches within it is become more common. If you know how to do either well, both are viable at this time, so that’s really good, and really healthy. Much more so than SC1’s ZvZ.

Which race do you think is the strongest at the moment and why?

I actually have no idea on this one. Finally, Protosses are figuring out PvZ again, I hear a lot of garbage about T>P, but I don’t believe it, and ZvT seems pretty decent so far. Though it does feel like SC1 in the way that Terran and Zerg feel like they have more potential, while Protoss feels easier to get good with.

Are any of the new units such as Thor or the mothership maybe too farfetched for an RTS with a reputation and image like Starcraft? Do any of the new units ruin the game or make it less respectable in your eyes?

I think that they are ok for now, I guess I don’t care about how farfetched they are as long as they don’t gain levels and kill computer controlled units for items.

Many people have been saying SC2 is a lower APM RTS, would you agree with this sentiment?

No, anyone who said that is a newbie. It might be lower than SC1, but definitely higher than any other RTS game. It still requires insane speed, we just aren’t good enough to do that yet.

Who do you think is at the highest skill level currently? NA/EU/Asia?

I haven’t been able to play with the Europeans yet, so I’ll just go with the top tournament finishers over there. DIMAGA, White-Ra, Demuslim, etc. Also valuable mention to ret, despite being nearly inactive and whatnot, his mechanics are still some of the best in SC2 so far. As for Asia, Tester is the best Protoss on the server probably, and everyone is pretty good. I’m not really sure who are the best of the best there yet, but some players are vastly overrated, such as ZenioWerra. On the US server, Smuft is probably very good, but I haven’t played him recently. I’m fairly certain IdrA and I are at the top, and honourable mention to Nadagast the Terran player, kid’s legit. I haven’t been able to play everyone yet, so I might miss people.

What is your opinion on the Battle.net 2.0 system so far? Are there any features that stand out to you that could help the development of E-Sports?

Having Blizzard make a Pro League is going to do very good things for this game I think. I can’t wait to see the full bnet 2.0, the beta one has a lot missing t.t!

Any last words for your fans and the SC/SC2 community?

Absolutely. Don’t listen to most of the people out there about the beta and its balance. So many people are total mongos, doing random BO1 builds and stupid strategies. No one really has a solid grasp of the game, so take everything you hear with a huge grain of salt. Other than that, thanks for watching all my videos at SCForALL.com, thanks for the kind words from everyone, and follow me on twitter! Twitter.com/artosis.

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8 comments

<blockquote>I really don’t want to join a Korean team to be honest. There are a LOT of problems with being on a team like that, and I want no part of it. These players are not allowed many freedoms. Being forced to practice when I’m burnt out, being forced to stay in the house when I want to leave, and having my fate basically controlled completely, by people often times younger than me, and almost always by people who know less about the games and about eSports than me, wouldn’t sit well in my mind.</blockquote>

You don't know who artosis is do you? If he wanted to be a pro gamer, he would've done so 3(?) years ago when he first went to korea. He's decided to take "pro-gaming" as a hobby and instead be a reporter/commentator which will make the game easier to understand to people who are just coming up in the SC world. Yeah he wont' make it as a pro-gamer...because he doesnt' want to be one.

he really seems to have a clue of what hes talking about and a presentable amount of knowledge but i dont like his attitude or maybe its just his way of talkin
it just seems to be like all those who have another picture of the game are jerks^^
maybe thats the reason why he comes around that arrogant like sNb mentioned
but nonetheless its a great iview, nice questions and very informative, so thanks for this one